[ThinkPad W520] Remove Whitelist / add WLAN IDs some questions

Discussion in 'BIOS Mods' started by gothic860, Dec 14, 2011.

  1. gothic860

    gothic860 MDL Novice

    Nov 30, 2011
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    #1 gothic860, Dec 14, 2011
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2011
    Hi everyone,

    I'm new here and since there isn't a up-to-date Lenovo W520 BIOS without Whitelist i want to try it. I just have a few questions after i read the most threads for the ThinkPads Phoenix BIOS stuff.

    UPDATE: I found my WLAN (Intel 6300 Centrino Ult.) 86 80 38 42 86 80 11 11 in 79E0EDD7-9D1D-4F41-AE1A-F896169E5216_1_1088.ROM.
    Can i simple change this Hex with the Hex of my Atheros and flash?
     
  2. laxa8831

    laxa8831 MDL Novice

    Nov 14, 2011
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    So, I flash the original Bios (which I'm already running) and then flash this version to remove the whitelist? Do I have to modify the version you linked to at all or just flash it as it is? I want to install an intel ultimate 6300.
     
  3. imak

    imak MDL Novice

    Dec 31, 2011
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    w520 whitelist removal

    Ok, I installed win7 on the laptop just to get the bios flashed. It's the first time I've installed windows on anything since 1998. And now, when I got o flash this new bios, either I am doing something terribly wrong because I have misunderstood the process or the bios file is not valid.

    I am getting the following error when using the WINUPTP.exe from the official bios update tools.

    "BIOS image file is same as BIOS ROM. An update is not necessary at this time."

    I took the .fl1 file and replaced the one that was originally extracted from the official tools.

    If I create a flash.bat file with the following content:

    @echo off
    echo Updating BIOS. Please wait...
    WINUPTP.EXE /s
    echo BIOS flash completed. Reboot now.
    pause

    I get the following error in the logs:

    BIOS Flashing...Failed.
    Error : write error during flashing.
    Error code = 102

    Am I doing something wrong? Let me know what other info will be relevant here. I am looking to remove the whitelist fromt he BIOS. I don't care about the SLIC or windows as I will be re-installing with Linux once I've got the whitelist removed.

    Thanks.
     
  4. imak

    imak MDL Novice

    Dec 31, 2011
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    Solved

    Finally figured this out.

    1. Download the bios mod.
    2. Download official bios.
    3. Flash official bios.
    4. Edit environment.dll (in the folder with the flashing tools) with hex editor.
    5. Create flash.bat.
    6. Run flash.bat as admin.
    7. Profit!

    I'll leave it to you to find the links, since I am not allowed to post links here.
     
  5. neckcutta

    neckcutta MDL Novice

    Jan 10, 2012
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    double check

    imak, thx for solving, but just to double check (since messing with BIOS is no joke)...

    you most likely downloaded the RAR file from sendspace titled "W520_1.34" inside which there was only one file: $01C9200.FL1. Then, you got the EXE from lenovo's site & simply ran it so that it flashes your BIOS & also creates the C:\DRIVERS\FLASH\8buj12us\8BET54WW directory.

    you then substituted $01C9200.FL1 in there with the modded one and.... flashed again (?)

    i think i've followed you so far, but i'm still pretty newb so please elaborate on the next few steps (& correct me if I misunderstood the previous ones)

    I've gotten a hex editor (HxD) and from what I understand, the environment.dll file you're talking about is located in C:\DRIVERS\FLASH\8buj12us\ what am I looking for / modifying once I open it? Also, what am I writing inside flash.bat?

    Huge thanks in advance!!
     
  6. Leonelu

    Leonelu MDL Novice

    Jan 14, 2012
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    Hello guys so has anybody have a solid procedure of how to do this sucessfully ( step by step)
    with so many replys and post it has gone out of crontrol and confusing...
    my system:
    Lenovo w520
    bios 1.34


    also in the environment.dll i cant seem to find the
    replace
    68 01 00 83 C4 0C 85 C0 74 15
    by
    68 01 00 83 C4 0C 85 C0 EB 15
    to suppress "imageDigest fail!" error

    or
    83 C4 14 89 45 E0 83 7D E0 00 74 31
    by
    83 C4 14 89 45 E0 83 7D E0 00 EB 31

    i used HxD tool

    your help will be usefull to me and lots of ppl thanx
     
  7. finfo

    finfo MDL Novice

    Oct 13, 2011
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    #8 finfo, Jan 19, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2012
    Hi qtm,
    Since a while ago I am running a modded by you BIOS 1.30 and running like charm. Now I need to update to version 1.34 to solve an issue with the battery.
    The problem is I have installed a whitelisted wifi card. Should I remove it, install Original BIOS 1.34 and then flash with that file you linked (with the software I used before) or can I flash the original 1.34 do not restart and flash again your modded BIOS?
    Sorry for so many questions and many thanks in advance.

    Finfo